Page 33 of A Kingdom of Broken Bonds

My patience is fried, and I don’t have the restraint to hold back as I usually would. I step forward, my free hand balling into a fist.

“I am in constant pain thanks to Havoc,” I spit out with malice. “The longer your friend continues to reject me, the worse it is going to get. I think you could cut me a little slack.”

What I don’t admit is that I feel weaker by the day. Gods, I can hardly even admit that to myself, let alone him. I feel so useless here, floating about like a spectre and hoping the prince changes his mind, unable to fulfil my purpose and protect my people.

“Then you need to master your power now before it’s too late!” he shouts, gesturing widely. “I know you have more within you that you are too scared to let out, but you must. Your destiny is not an easy one.”

The darkness. That has to be what he’s talking about. Somehow, he is able to sense it. There have been a few occasions when we’ve fought where it rose to the surface, and I was so focused on my fight that I didn’t immediately notice. It is possible that he picked up on it then, but he would have to be paying close attention to me. Other than those who have seen it, no one has guessed about the darkness I carry, and knowing that he suspects something makes my knees feel weak.

Standing straight, I take a deep breath and pray I can keep my voice steady. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Coward,” he spits, disappointment colouring his expression.

Outrage floods through me, scalding everywhere it touches, threatening to destroy the careful barriers I have in place. He has no idea, not even the slightest inkling of how difficult it is to control the darkness that hides inside me or how long it has taken for me not to constantly fear it breaking free of the cage I locked it in. He might see my actions as cowardice, but I’m really protecting them all. No one would survive the wave of evil that would destroy the world should I let the darkness out. It is a huge slap in the face for him to treat me this way, but I could never tell him, because he wouldn’t understand.

Instead of an indignant response where I demand he take his insult back, I stifle my pride and channel it into something else.

“I have no idea who shat in your coffee this morning, Finnik, but do not take it out on me. You could have killed me with that move, and you know it,” I snap, snarling at the fae and flinging my own dagger at him.

I don’t even bother to aim, the blade flying through the air faster than the eye can track. He dodges the dagger of course, since my intention was never to hit him, but it makes a point. His eyes narrow into thin slits of rage, and he slowly walks towards me, crossing that careful distance he always keeps between us.

He’s looking for a fight, wanting to hurt someone to ease his own pain, except it doesn’t work. Him cutting me only made him madder, not giving him the sense of relief he’s so desperately searching for. I don’t know what emotion he’s running away from, but the intense look he levels at me is making me nervous.

Each slow, deliberate step he takes towards me is filled with challenge. I should back down, since he’s clearly going to take his feelings out on me. The smart thing to do would be to leave the room and speak to him again once he has calmed down, but I stand my ground, my body loose should I need to move quickly.

“Had you been paying attention, then it wouldn’t have been an issue.” His voice is deadly calm now, and that is somehow more terrifying than when he was shouting. He takes one final step, and we are so close I feel his body heat radiating from him. “Besides,” he continues with a pointed look, tilting his head to one side, “you are a fine one to talk.”

Blinking, I frown up at him in confusion. I already feel offended, and I don’t even know what he’s talking about.

“What in the underworld is that supposed to mean?” I demand. All of my intentions of not rising to his challenge go flying out the window.

“You were fucking some other male to get back at Havoc, knowing full well what that would do to him.” His accusation is bitter. “I spent the entire night holding Havoc back from tearing apart the castle to find your lover.”

My body seems to still for a moment in surprise, my brain digesting the ridiculous accusations. I don’t know whether to be furious or to laugh aloud. Is he serious right now? This is what has him in such a twist? A single, shocked laugh escapes me, my brows raised as I stare up at him.

“Excuse me?”

Does he truly think so little of me? Firstly, I had no idea that Havoc felt anything through our connection, because he never seems to show any signs of discomfort when he’s constantly rejecting me. I suppose I should have suspected that he might have been able to feel me, yet I was in such a tailspin yesterday that my thoughts were focused on surviving the day.

The biggest outrage to me is that he thinks I should stay celibate when I have repetitively been rejected. Havoc and I may be predestined to be together, but we are most certainly not a couple. He doesn’t want me, therefore he gets no say in my romantic life.

Finnik’s mouth twists into a sneer. “You heard me. He felt everything you were doing yesterday after the two of you parted ways. He was furious.”

He moves abruptly, a flash of silver warning me that he has a blade. Thankfully, I was expecting something like this from him. Trust him to use this as a training exercise. As he attempts to get beside me, my weight is already on my toes and I duck, spinning around and kicking out to catch his legs. To my surprise, it works, and he stumbles, pushing himself into a forward roll and back onto his feet in a second, weapon in hand.

“He rejected me,” I snap, circling him, my own dagger glinting in my fist. “He told me he would never marry someone like me.”

Finnik leaps forward, and I only just manage to block his attack, bringing us face-to-face once more, so close I can feel his breath on my cheeks. “He is your mate.”

His anger turns his voice into a snarl, but I get the strangest feeling he’s not actually mad at me when he says this.

“Oh, so I was supposed to stay celibate this whole time, was I? No one gave me that memo.” With a burst of strength, I thrust him away from me and immediately go on the attack, leaping after him and slashing my blade towards his open side. “I suppose this standard is different for the prince, or are you telling me he’s still a virgin?”

I’m so impassioned and bitter about this whole situation that I allow it to cloud my judgement, causing my reactions to be riskier than usual. In my move to catch him off guard, I leave my left side open. Taking full advantage of this, he leaps towards me and tackles me to the ground. I refuse to go down easily, kicking out with my legs as we both land with a thump. Finnik disarms me and pins my arms to the ground before I can even blink. The only benefit to this is that he no longer has access to his own weapon.

Vampires are strong and fast, but so are the fae, and I am completely pinned and at his mercy.

Lowering his face until we’re almost touching, he shakes his head, a mocking smirk pulling at his sinful lips. “You allowed yourself to get distracted by your emotions. Again.”

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